Extending 3 light switches to New Positions

[kentster]

Hi All

First post so go easy on me.......I'm not a qualified electrician and am only part way through my course, although now my family think i'm the 1st person to come to for questions (which i'll be posting on here)

We have a building which used to be an open office (15m x 15m ish) and at the top of the stairs is a 3 gang light switch to control the 3 rows of lights. This is being stud walled into 3 seperate offices and therefore all 3 switches need to be split and moved into new positions. Its an old building and not using loop in and we can't pull the ceiling down so what i was wondering is if we can simply join a new piece of T&E to where the current cable connects and run this to the new location?

If we can do the above are there any recommended joint boxes to use as these will end up being left in the whole that the 3 gang switch is now and plastered over.

One last thing is that it looks like they've used a link cable between each live on the switches and all the neutrals look to just be wound together with a plastic cap over them. I'll take some pics tomorrow, but hoping to get an answer on just extending the cable so this can be run in before the plasterboard gets put up at the weekend

 

[Apache]

You can't hide cables in a wall and plaster over with no accessory - period. Someone could put a nail through the cable not knowing it was there.

You could take the cables up to ceiling level and use the safe zone along the top of the wall?

 

[Andy™]

^ what he says. providing its in a zone at the top, you can extend there to new locations, but you cannot join at existing box and then plaster over

 

[kentster]

Thanks for the quick responses, makes sense about the safe zone, forgot that by plastering over it there would no longer be an accessory there

Thinking of accessory, if its not going to be possible to get the old cables into the safe zone together would a surface mounted connection block count as an accessory?

Got a feeling we'll end up running the cable in as plasterboard is going up at the weekend and leave nice long tails for some poor Bournemouth sparky to connect to the old cables at a later date.

 

[Apache]

You can put what you want there - even just a blank plate on the backbox.

 

[a1spark]

I would do as Apache suggests....i.e the blank plate.

a1Spark

 

[m4tty]

+2 blank plate idea. Keeps the safe zone

 

[kentster]

Thanks Apache, Andy, a1spark & m4tty.....

To be honest not sure i'm too confident with connecting it up (will try and post some pics tomorrow) as on my course it was nice fresh loop in wiring and junction boxes you can see into.

Will get the cable run in and leave plenty spare for someone else to connect it in the old switch location - at least I now know you can just put a blanking plate over to top.

 

[Andy™]

you might want to get the person who is going to connect to have a look now. like me (and many other users here), the person you get may not want anything to do with what someone else has installed/started. at least when there are no visible cables or anything.

and is all the earthing adequate, and circuit RCD'd if necessary?

 

[Apache]

If you are getting a spark in to connect up could you be there when he comes? You might find the experience useful.

 

[tom1]

would having a 3 gang 2 way switch at top of stairs and have 2 way swtching for each office work?

 

[a1spark]

would having a 3 gang 2 way switch at top of stairs and have 2 way swtching for each office work?

Nice idea Tom1

If he did that then the existing switch position is retained and 3-core & earth could be run to each new office switch, resulting in no concealed connection dilemma.

By the way it appears to me that the neutrals are joined with the old screwits type connectors, dont think they are permissable for fixed wiring anymore.

a1Spark.

 

[tom1]

Nice idea Tom1If he did that then the existing switch position is retained and 3-core & earth could be run to each new office switch, resulting in no concealed connection dilemma.

By the way it appears to me that the neutrals are joined with the old screwits type connectors, dont think they are permissable for fixed wiring anymore.

a1Spark.

bang a wago on that

 

[batty]

Nice idea Tom1If he did that then the existing switch position is retained and 3-core & earth could be run to each new office switch, resulting in no concealed connection dilemma.

By the way it appears to me that the neutrals are joined with the old screwits type connectors, dont think they are permissable for fixed wiring anymore.

a1Spark.

Dog c..ks

 

[kentster]

tom1 - liking the idea of doing 2way so thanks for that, gets round most of the problems. This is only temporary anyway until a qualified spark will be called in to do a full re-wire and convert it into a house.

As thought, by the screwits comment above that the wiring in here is really old. It gets a lot worse as there doesn't appear to be any earthing on the lighting circuit. No RCD protection either. There are 2 main feeds into the property, one running a workshop and the other running a flat, workshop, barn, this office and a storeroom all of which have seperate meters installed at somepoint for billing and tapped off the meter tails from the providers meters (installed by apparent ex-sparks over a period of years)

Lots of old electrical kit in there that needs a pro in to remove and sort out, to isolate the power to the flat there is a 25 x 25cm white box with a massive handle on the side?!?!

 

[kme]

AH!

Now you have issues with moving the switches AT ALL. With no earth, and no RCD, you cannot install any cables at this location which will comply with regs; unless you "find" an earth

I suppose the only option would be to install remote switches - expensive but it does get round the no earth issue.

As regards the feasibility of dogc*cks, I would have thought that, as a mechanical joint, accessible for inspection, they may well be allowable; though I`d remove it anyway........

KME

 

[tom1]

I would get a pir done and see exactly what wants changing and upgrading and get it done before any plastering painting flooring ect

 

[Andy™]

This is only temporary anyway until a qualified spark will be called in to do a full re-wire and convert it into a house.

nothing is more permanent than 'temporary'

 

[initforthemoney]

Just install the cables in steel conduit.

You can run them wherever you like then, without the need for RCD's, joint boxes, accessories etc etc....

 

[Andy™]

Just install the cables in steel conduit.You can run them wherever you like then, without the need for RCD's, joint boxes, accessories etc etc....

the joint box in the wall would still need adquate protection, and connections would have to be maintenance free

and if existing cables are not in steel conduit, then they would need installed in steel conduit, in which case it would be easier to move the joint to safe zone at top of wall